Work-life balance and alternatives to academia

Launching a career in ecology is difficult, requiring a high level of commitment and effort. This is all the more challenging when trying to balance an outside life with your career. Yet studies are increasingly showing the importance of work-life balance for health and productivity. I share my experience of the challenges and opportunities striving for work-life balance as an early career ecologist and relate this to my decision to pursue alternatives to an academic career, working in an NGO at the interface of science and policy.